Genekha Mushroom Festival
Forest foraging walks, local produce stalls, and village cooking demonstrations in the hills above Thimphu.
Genekha Village, Bhutan
Step Into Bhutan's Genekha Mushroom Festival.
Walk into the forest trails and village life of Genekha, where Bhutan's rural food traditions come alive each August. This is Bhutan beyond the monastery circuit. Raw, local, and entirely your own.
Festival
15-16 Aug 2026
Location
Genekha, Bhutan
Duration
8 Days / 7 Nights
Group Size
Max 12 Guests
Guide
Licensed Bhutanese Guide
Limited Places. Small Groups. August 2026.
Why This Festival
Why the Genekha Mushroom Festival is unlike anything else in Bhutan
Most visitors to Bhutan follow the same trail: Tiger's Nest, a dzong, a monastery.
The Genekha Mushroom Festival takes you somewhere most travellers never reach, a working Bhutanese village during harvest season, where the forest, the food, and the community are the entire point.
No staged performances.
No tourist route.
Just Bhutan as it actually lives.
Small Groups
Intimate tours of 2 to 12 guests
Licensed Guide
A certified Bhutanese guide throughout
What You Will Experience
The Genekha Mushroom Festival, Tiger's Nest, and the real Bhutan.
Eight days through sacred dzongs, mountain passes, a valley homestay, and one of Bhutan's most intimate local harvest festivals, timed precisely for August.
Tiger's Nest Monastery
A 2 to 3 hour hike through pine forest to Taktsang, perched 800 metres above the Paro Valley floor.
Punakha Dzong
The fortress monastery at the confluence of two sacred rivers in the lush Punakha Valley.
Phobjikha Valley Homestay
Two nights with a Bhutanese family in Gangtey, sharing meals and learning village traditions.
Paro Dzong and Ta Dzong
The 17th century fortress monastery and the National Museum, plus an incense making workshop.
Plus the unmissable moments
- Genekha Mushroom Festival, 15 to 16 August
- Tiger's Nest Monastery hike
- Village homestay in Phobjikha Valley
- Punakha Dzong and Khamsum Chorten walk
- Dochu La Pass and the 108 memorial chortens
- Thimphu arts, crafts, and cultural sights
The Tour
8 days. 7 nights. Bhutan the way it was meant to be seen.
Start and finish in Paro. Small groups of 2 to 12 people. 6 nights in 3-star hotels plus 1 night at a traditional village homestay in Gangtey. Tour dates: 11 to 18 August 2026. Genekha Mushroom Festival: 15 to 16 August.
Day by day itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Paro (11 Aug)
Arrive at Paro airport, then visit Ta Dzong national museum, Paro Dzong, and the Nado Poizokhang Incense Factory.
Day 2
Dochu La Pass and Chimi Lhakhang (12 Aug)
Cross the 3,050 metre Dochu La Pass with its 108 memorial chortens, then hike to the pilgrimage temple of Chimi Lhakhang in the Punakha Valley.
Day 3
Khamsum Chorten, Punakha Dzong and Phobjikha Homestay (13 Aug)
Walk to Khamsum Chorten, visit Punakha Dzong, then drive to Gangtey to settle into your traditional village homestay.
Day 4
Phobjikha Valley and Gangtey Monastery (14 Aug)
Nature walk through the valley, visit the 17th century Gangtey Monastery, and spend time with your host family.
Day 5
Genekha Mushroom Festival, Day 1 (15 Aug)
Travel to Thimphu via Rinchengang village and Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, then head to Genekha for the first day of the Mushroom Festival.
Day 6
Genekha Mushroom Festival, Day 2 and Thimphu (16 Aug)
Second day at the Genekha Mushroom Festival, then afternoon sightseeing in Thimphu: Memorial Chorten, Folk Heritage Museum, School of Arts and Crafts, and the weekend market.
Day 7
Tiger's Nest Hike (17 Aug)
Hike to Taktsang Monastery, then visit Drukgyel Dzong ruins and the 7th century Kyichu Lhakhang temple. Optional hot stone bath and farewell farmhouse dinner.
Day 8
Free Time and Depart Paro (18 Aug)
Free time in Paro before your airport transfer and departure flight.
Mandala Hotel, Paro
Where You Stay
Your Accommodation in Bhutan
Six nights in carefully selected 3-star hotels, the Mandala Hotel in Paro, RKOP Green Resort in Punakha, and the Ariya Hotel in Thimphu, plus one night at the Gakiling Guest House homestay in Gangtey. All hotels meet strict Bhutanese government standards. August brings lush green landscapes after the early monsoon rains.
- Mandala Hotel, Paro
- RKOP Green Resort, Punakha Valley
- Gakiling Guest House homestay, Gangtey, Phobjikha Valley
- Ariya Hotel, Thimphu
Traveller Reviews
What travellers say about Bhutan with Encounters Travel
Real reviews from Encounters Travel guests, including travellers who took this Bhutan tour, as posted on TripAdvisor and Feefo.
4.7 out of 5 from over 1,700 traveller reviews of Encounters Travel tours
Bhutan, an amazing trip
“Encounters Travel, you did it again! We had an amazing and very memorable trip to Bhutan. It was very well organized. Our journey through Bhutan was nothing short of magical. The hike to Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest Monastery) was breathtaking and an even more spiritual reward at the top. The trip leaves you with a calmer heart, a clearer mind, and memories that feel timeless!”
Memorable visit to Nepal and Bhutan
“A quite unique and interesting visit to Nepal and Bhutan. The guided visits to key sites were very high quality and informative. But without doubt the highlight was a week in Bhutan. Our guide, Rinzin, personalised the visit in so many memorable ways.”
Wonderful time, great experience
“The booking process was fairly simple. The guide and driver were great, super friendly and accommodating. Dago was full of information and quite knowledgeable. At times the roads were rough, but Yeshee was a great driver, very friendly and kept the truck spotless.”
Well organised trip to Bhutan
“I was impressed with their knowledge in the area. They organised hotels, transfers, guides and drivers as well as Bhutanese visas and flights. Everything worked well and despite being a solo traveller I had a driver and guide during all my time. I'd certainly use these guys again, they really know their business.”
The 8-day Bhutan tour was amazing
“The guide and the driver were nice people trying to do everything they could for me. The hotels were very nice and the food was simply great. I visited everything on the itinerary, plus some additions thanks to my guide who wanted to show me as much as possible. Everything was well organized and worth the money. I would take this tour again.”
Quick and easy from the other side of the world
“Very helpful. Quick and easy communications despite being on the other side of the world! Encounters Travel communicated well and managed our Bhutan booking efficiently.”
“Bhutan is one of those destinations where the details really matter, the right departure date, the right guide, the right community. I have helped a lot of travellers get this one right. Let's make sure yours is perfect too.”
Mariska Knoesen, Sales Manager at Encounters Travel
Questions about the Mushroom Festival, the homestay, what to expect in August in Bhutan, or flights into Paro? Chat directly with Mariska.
Some places ask you to slow down. Bhutan insists on it.
Practical Details
Everything you need to know.
- Tour
- Bhutan Encounters, Genekha Mushroom Festival Departure
- Duration
- 8 days and 7 nights
- Start and End
- Paro to Paro
- Festival Dates
- Genekha Mushroom Festival: 15 to 16 August 2026
- Tour Dates
- 11 to 18 August 2026
- Group Size
- Small group, 2 to 12 travellers
- Accommodation
- 3-star hotels plus Gangtey village homestay
- Meals
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
- Region
- Bhutan: Paro, Punakha, Phobjikha Valley, Thimphu, Genekha
About the Genekha Mushroom Festival
A harvest celebration in the hills, and why August is the best time to see Bhutan.
The Festival
What is the Genekha Mushroom Festival?
Genekha is a small village in the hills above Thimphu, reached by a winding road through pine and fir forest. Every August, as the monsoon rains bring the mushroom season to its peak, the community gathers to celebrate the harvest with a festival rooted in Bhutan's relationship with the forest and the land.
The festival is not a performance for tourists. It is a genuine community event: stalls selling wild mushrooms, local vegetables, and seasonal produce; cooking demonstrations using ingredients pulled straight from the surrounding forest; and the kind of unhurried, open conversation that happens when a village is proud of where it comes from.
For travellers who want to understand Bhutan beyond its famous landmarks, the Genekha Mushroom Festival offers something genuinely rare: access to a living food culture, in a working village, at the exact moment the forest is most alive.
August
peak mushroom season in Bhutan's forests
15-16 Aug
2026 festival dates
Why Genekha
Why this festival is the best reason to visit Bhutan in August.
◎
A festival rooted in place
The Genekha Mushroom Festival is not an invented attraction. It is a community celebration that happens because the forest produces it, and your presence is welcome, not the reason it exists.
★
The right time to be in Bhutan
August is monsoon season, which means fewer crowds, lush green landscapes, and a Bhutan that feels fully alive. The Genekha festival turns what most travellers avoid into the best possible reason to go.
⌂
Village life, not village tourism
Genekha is a working community. The homestay element of this tour connects you to the same world as the festival, a Bhutan of farms, forests, and families, not just temples and trekking routes.
✓
Timed into the tour, not added on
This departure is specifically scheduled around the 15 to 16 August festival dates. You will be in Genekha when it matters, with a licensed local guide who knows the village and the festival.
Good To Know
Your Bhutan questions, answered
Do I need a visa for Bhutan?
Yes, every visitor needs a Bhutanese visa, but we arrange it for you as part of the tour. The USD 40 visa fee is included in the price, and your licensed Bhutanese guide handles the paperwork. You just need a passport with at least six months validity.
What is the Sustainable Development Fee?
Bhutan charges every visitor a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per night, which funds free healthcare, education and conservation in the kingdom. It is already included in this tour price, so there is nothing extra to pay.
How do I get to Paro?
The tour starts and ends at Paro International Airport. Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines fly to Paro from Delhi, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Singapore and other regional hubs. International flights are not included, and our specialists can advise on the best connections for your route.
When is the Genekha Mushroom Festival?
The festival runs on 15 and 16 August 2026 in Genekha village, in the hills above Thimphu. This departure is scheduled around those exact dates, from 11 to 18 August, so you are in the village for both festival days.
What is the homestay like?
You spend one night at the Gakiling Guest House homestay in Gangtey, in the Phobjikha Valley. It is simple, clean and warm, with meals shared with your Bhutanese host family. It is a highlight of the trip for most travellers, and the other six nights are in 3-star hotels.
How fit do I need to be for the Tiger's Nest hike?
The hike to Taktsang Monastery takes 2 to 3 hours each way on a well-worn trail that climbs about 800 metres above the valley floor. A steady pace with plenty of rest stops gets most reasonably fit travellers to the top. Walking poles help, and there is a cafeteria viewpoint partway up if you prefer to stop there.
What is the weather like in August?
August is monsoon season, which means lush green valleys, dramatic skies and far fewer tourists. Showers usually come in short bursts, often overnight or in the afternoon. Bring a light rain jacket and quick-drying layers. Daytime temperatures are mild, around 15 to 25 degrees.
What is the food like, and can dietary needs be catered for?
Expect hearty Bhutanese home cooking: red rice, seasonal vegetables, momos, and the national dish ema datshi (chillies and cheese), alongside milder continental options in the hotels. During the festival you can taste dishes cooked with freshly foraged mushrooms. Vegetarian and other dietary needs are easily catered for, just tell us when you book.
Is this tour suitable for solo travellers?
Yes. Groups are small, from 2 to 12 travellers, and you are accompanied throughout by a licensed local guide and driver. Solo travellers regularly join and quickly become part of the group.
Still have a question? Our travel specialists are happy to help.